Reinterpretations of borders, violence and resistance in contemporary Europe

events Programme

In April, in Świnoroje, in the immediate vicinity of the Polish–Belarusian border, the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences organised an international seminar dedicated to the critical examination of border violence, control infrastructures and strategies of resistance. The discussions were grounded in the need to rethink dominant approaches to migration, refugee and forced displacement research, with particular attention to the lived experiences of people on the move and to engaged, practice oriented perspectives.

The programme brought together a wide range of contributions that addressed the systemic nature of border violence and its embeddedness in the architecture of so called “mobile borders”, including walls, surveillance systems and other control technologies. Participants reflected on the methodological challenges facing contemporary research, emphasising the need to move beyond extractive models and to recognise migrants as agents and knowledge holders. The role of documentation and so called “archives of resistance” was discussed as a key tool for countering invisibility and erasure, particularly in relation to pushbacks and practices of memorialisation. Attention was also given to the interdependence of infrastructure and environment, highlighting how forests, rivers and other natural landscapes are actively instrumentalised as elements of border control, increasing the risks faced by people in transit.

Further discussions focused on the evolving architecture and technologies of border regimes. Participants examined how contemporary borders function as complex “borderscapes”, shaped by overlapping physical, legal and technological systems. Border walls were analysed not only as tools of exclusion but also as mechanisms that produce zones of legal ambiguity within state territories. The use of drones and automated systems was discussed in relation to changing dynamics of surveillance and human–technology interaction. The concept of the “geophysics of border violence” provided a framework for understanding how terrain and infrastructure are deliberately combined to intensify the dangers of migration routes. Visual regimes of surveillance, including images of fences, watchtowers and monitored landscapes, were considered as part of broader systems of spatial control.

An important dimension of the seminar was the reflection on how the Holocaust history of the Podlasie region resonates with contemporary crises and responses to them. This perspective allowed participants to connect different layers of memory and to consider how historical experiences of violence and exclusion inform present day practices and ethical responsibilities.

In addition to presentations and discussions, the seminar incorporated field based and artistic formats to support learning and exchange. It opened with a guided border walk led by Inga Hajdarowicz and Natalia Judzińska, introducing participants to the local context through situated knowledge and activist perspectives. A second walk, led by Ewa Moroz Keczyńska, focused on the environmental specificity of the Białowieża Forest and the impact of the border crisis on local ecosystems. Participants also attended the monodrama The Little Doctor Has Returned, directed by Joanna Troc and performed by Rafał Pietrzak, based on the life of Arsalan Azzaddin and his involvement in providing humanitarian assistance at the border.

Bringing together participants from multiple countries and professional backgrounds, the seminar created a space for exchange between research, activism and practice. By combining critical analysis with field experience and collaborative discussion, the event contributed to a deeper understanding of contemporary border regimes and to the development of more engaged and responsible approaches to memory and human rights activism.

📸 Kamila Fijałkowska, Karolina Bielenin-Lenczowska, Natalia Bloch, Natalia Judzińska